


Library

by NekoAbi



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Library, Implied non-consensual kiss, M/M, Mention of breathing problems, Panicking, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-13 01:07:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16882728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoAbi/pseuds/NekoAbi
Summary: The world seems like a really small place when you work in a library, and what happens when four gays inhabit this small world? Well, I guess we'll just have to find out if they all figure it out.





	1. Analogical

The attraction was instant. Virgil had only signed up to volunteer at the local library for a stupid fucking grade for a stupid fucking module of his stupid fucking university course. He’d had to go through the trouble and anxiety of sending professional emails back and forth. He’d been close to breaking one time when he had to find out if the application form was actually received by the library (it hadn’t). He’d gone through all the scenarios twice on the walk down today for the interview, his thoughts growing louder than the music as he neared and realised he was so early.

And now here he was. Sat in the children’s section of the library. With the most attractive guy he’d ever had the misfortune to interact with. And he’d have to talk about himself with this guy! His mind was racing, silently hoping that he wasn’t blushing or that his light foundation covered it.

He fidgeted with the hem of the striped jumper he wore as he waited for the hot librarian to get his notes sorted. Virgil wasn’t exactly sure of his name. The emails he’d been sending had been signed off with a simple L. Studier, all he knew was that he was the head librarian.

Virgil was jolted from his thoughts as the hot librarian cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses, clearly ready to begin.

“Firstly, thank you for coming in today. I do apologise for taking a little longer than planned, something arose that I needed to take care of.” The man across smiled softly in apology and Virgil felt a part of him melt. A hand raised slightly to cut Virgil off as he opened his mouth to rattle off assurances, “What matters is that we get this interview done. You have no need to be nervous, all these questions are merely a formality. After reading through your application form, I am confident that you will be fine.” Another soft smile.  
The interview went on for around 40 minutes. Virgil found himself answering all the questions easily, being able to come up with a new scenario or experience whenever asked. He also couldn’t help but be utterly entranced by the man asking him the questions. He noticed the small details: the neat handwriting, the seemingly constant need to adjust his glasses, the way the corner of his lip twitched upwards whenever he seemed to find something amusing. It was official, Virgil had lost himself to this man.

All too soon, they were saying goodbye. A firm handshake left Virgil’s hand tingling as he walked out into the cold air outside. He was just getting back to his room when it hit him: he still didn’t know the librarian’s name.

Three weeks later, Virgil is standing by the front desk, waiting for someone to come by. A now-familiar face eventually come from between two of the bookshelves, an inviting smile gracing his face. Virgil raised a hand in greeting as the other approached, “Hey Patton, I’m back to work with someone today as like some kind of training?”

The shorter man kept smiling as he walked around behind the desk, “I was told, but first you have to sign-in back here!” He beckoned Virgil around to join him. Virgil was only half paying attention as Patton was showing him were the sign in book was, how to fill it in and the standard protocols that all volunteers do whenever they turn up.

Virgil was glad he’d been able to find Patton before his first shift. He’d been extremely worried about the whole day, but the man was such a calming presence to be around. So much so that he almost forgot about it. He’d always been a shining smiling face, always bubbly and willing to help. Virgil could easily tell that Patton was popular with all of the regulars at the library. The last time he’d come in, he’s found Patton sitting and chatting with two elderly women about all the books they were taking out that day. There had also been that one time as Virgil walked out when he could hear Logan lecturing Patton about keeping his voice down, and how he needed to be a good influence on the rest of the community, and if he did it again there would be an issue. 

“You get all that, Virgil?” 

The question broke him out of his thoughts, “Uh yeah, sign in with the book that’s normally in the cupboard, grab a lanyard and sign out when you leave.” 

“Great! Well, you do that and I’ll go and find out who you’re working with today!” Patton practically skipped away to the office, leaving the young student alone.

Virgil took a moment to glance around the library for a second, before going to fill in the book. He pulled out his phone to check the time, as well as taking a moment to check any notifications he had missed since leaving his house.

“I do hope you don’t intend to be on your phone all day.”

The younger man started and turned quickly, heartrate pounding from the shock. His vision was soon filled by the tall head librarian, and his cheeks flushed pink under his usual pale makeup as he took in the man once again. Virgil opened his mouth, letting out a barrage of explanations, “I wasn’t meaning to, I just thought- I took it out to check the time and I just noticed something, I was only checking for a moment, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean, I won’t- “

A raised hand and light chuckle cut him off, “It is fine, Virgil. I was only meaning to tease you.”

The student’s mouth opened and closed a few times, trying to respond but instead feeling his face warm even more as the rumbling noise.

The librarian raised an eyebrow, “Well, if you have nothing else to discuss or ask, then we should get to work. Follow me.” 

For the next four hours, Virgil followed the head librarian around. He was given the full tour of the library, before then beginning to work with the taller man around with the shelves. Both of them had no need to talk casually, they only spoke to ask or answer a question about the shelving. Virgil’s worries faded a little as they fell into a comfortable rhythm. 

Sometimes, Virgil would find himself staring at his companion, but he’d quickly catch himself and start getting back to work.

Every so often, a patron of the library would come over and ask a question. The question was swiftly dealt with. Virgil couldn’t say it was very comforting or kind like he was used to with Patton, the responses were straight to the point and almost rude. He now understood why he never saw the head librarian around the front desk.

Speaking of the front desk. Virgil felt eyes on him from that very spot. He glanced over to find Patton watching the two of them work, his head resting on his hands as his elbows rested on the desk. Virgil turned back to working very quickly, trying his best to ignore it. All too soon, Virgil was having to leave. 

This sequence of events went on for another two weeks, until Virgil was eventually left to work alone. All too soon, he’d completed his assignment and really had no reason to stay at the library. Well, other than the clear attraction he had for the head librarian, who he had still not learnt the name of – the time had long since passed for when Virgil could have asked and not seemed like a complete idiot.

Another two months later, Virgil turned up to his volunteering shift. He was about to go over and grab the trolley of books that he had to sort but was quickly accosted by the enthusiastic Patton.

“Hey there, kiddo! I’m here to help you out today!”

Virgil sighed at the nickname, but smiled softly, “Patton, you’re only two years older than me.” Virgil pushed the cart around to the first shelf and the two started to work.

“You’re still younger, so it still counts!” The shorter man giggled softly. There was barely a beat of silence before Patton began talking again.

“It’s been really nice around here since you joined us, Virgil. It feels like there’s a little less stress around, and you do such a wonderful job all the time! I’ve never heard a single complaint about you. In fact, all that’s been said is always positive. I sometimes even forget you’re around when you’re here, you’re just so quiet, kiddo. Oh, that reminds me, I totally forgot to ask how you’re doing today. I always mean to ask, but sometimes I’m just so busy that I forget! So, how are you today, Virgil?” Patton paused his tirade to look at his companion. 

But the student was too distracted by something back over by the main desk. Patton leaned back a little to try and see what was over there. He smiled knowingly as he noticed the head librarian talking to a patron. He cleared his throat loudly to get Virgil’s attention. The younger of them jumped, looking back at Patton.

“You know, he’s been out of the office a lot more in the past couple months. It’s really sweet.” He turned back to the shelves, pilling a couple of books into his arms and seemingly getting lost in the spines, “In fact, now that I think about it, I’ve seen him out a lot on Tuesdays… Huh, isn’t that a weird coincidence?” He glanced out of the side of his eyes towards Virgil, just to see his reaction.

The student blinked owlishly, clearly a little shocked and embarrassed, but he still glanced back over to the front desk, just in time to catch the eyes of the tallest librarian. His cheeks flushed, and Virgil went back to work, keeping his eyes down from now on. He and Patton shared polite conversation as they worked, most of which was provided by Patton. Two hours passed, and it was the end of the day. Patton said he’d take the trolley away and start on the next one.

Virgil picked up his things and made his way back out to sign out. The student went to leave but was stopped by a voice. He turned and was once again faced with the stupidly attractive librarian. Virgil almost cursed, but instead just looked at the man curiously.

“It has been brought to my attention that I still haven’t properly introduced myself to you, Virgil. I apologise for that.” There was a slight pink tinge to the librarian’s cheeks as he continued and held out his hand to Virgil, “Uh, Logan Studier.”

Virgil snorted softly and shook the extended hand, “Virgil Mortenson.” He responded, attempting to tease the other. Both just stood with their hands connected for a moment, getting lost in the other, before they both snapped back to reality. Virgil pulled his hand back, shoving it in his pocket and looked to the side. Logan cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses and tie nervously before glancing behind his shoulder to the main desk.

“Well, I guess-”

“I’ll see you-”

They both spoke at once and then stopped. They shared a laugh before Virgil pointed behind him with his thumb, “I’ll uh… be going. See you next week, Logan.”

“Yes, of course. See you then, Virgil.”

Virgil walked out of the steps, unwinding his headphones and stepping onto the street. Logan. The name swam around in his head constantly. He glanced behind him as he went to walk back home, taking in a last glance at the front doors and a small smile broke through to his lips. Virgil would finally admit it to himself, he had it bad for the head librarian. If that wasn’t a reason to stick around, then what was?


	2. Moxiety

Why did they even need anymore volunteers? That was the question Virgil asked himself every time he walked into the library for his shift and heard the confident and far-too-loud voice of the new guy. It had only been a week since he’d started there, but the new guy was already getting on Virgil’s last nerve.

What did Patton say his name was again…? Virgil shook his head to clear the thoughts. He blew the newly dyed hair that fell directly into his eyes up and back into place.

Virgil signed in and grabbed a lanyard, throwing it over his head. He went to find out where he was needed for the day, but as he searched around for someone, he found Logan talking to the new guy, definitely telling him off yet again about the volume. Instead of interrupting and also facing the wrath of the head librarian – and to avoid talking to the guy due to his obvious crush that Patton just loved to always hint towards every time they were even close to each other – he decided to just take one of the trolleys of returns and thankfully found that all the books were for the kids’ section.

He made his way over to the left side of the building, slowing once he stepped through the archway into what felt like a completely different building. 

The walls were bright red, tall windows looking out onto the street outside. A large clock wall decoration hung on the wall opposite where Virgil had entered, surrounded by drawings and art work. The room went deeper as Virgil glanced to his left, seeing a few children and their carers sat down with the brightly coloured soft chairs and beanbags. All the shelves were short, yet again coloured red with the shelves being yellow and drawings adorning the ends. 

He moved deeper into the room, avoiding the growing voices that came behind him of the two he’d seen earlier. Instead, he focused on avoiding their line of sight by getting closer to the bottom of the room. Virgil put the trolley up against the wall, taking an armful of books and beginning to place them back on the shelves, until a familiar voice caught his attention.

The student glanced to the side and saw the familiar sight of Patton, sitting and talking with a couple of kids. A book was open across his legs as he sat cross-legged. Virgil scrunched his face as he took in the scene, talking to himself quietly, “It’s not a Tuesday… so it’s not time for that reading with kids thing… Or is it? Did they change it…?”

He was lost in his thoughts, moving between the shelves. The voices of the occupants of the room became muffled as he worked. As he returned to grab his third armful of books, a hand rested on his shoulder and he spun around, startled. 

“Woah! Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you there, kiddo.”

Virgil let out a heavy breath, hand pressed to his chest, “You practically gave me a heart attack…” 

“I’m sorry! You were just looking a little lost and confused. I just wanted to check on you is all.” Patton smiled his usual large smile, yet his eyes showed clear concern. 

Virgil felt his cheeks starting to burn a little at the scrutiny and turned away, “I’m fine… I was just thinking…” He paused, unsure if he wanted to tell Patton what was on his mind. 

The shortest of all the library staff had always been a beacon of light around the building, always bubbly and willing to help people out with whatever they needed. He frequently spent too much time with just a single patron, but he explained to Virgil that he just wanted everyone to feel welcome and listened to. All of the older crowd that came to the library were on first name terms with Patton, and he welcomed them with open arms. He worked almost every event that the library put on, but what he was most known for was on every Tuesday morning.

The event was referred to as “Story Time” and involved young kids and their carers – be they parents, grandparents, babysitters or anyone else – came to listen to one of the library staff or volunteers read a few kids stories to them before completing some kind of craft activity. Patton was the best they had for this. Anyone who came to any of his sessions immediately warmed to him, and he loved every moment of the sessions. 

For Virgil, he’d sat in to ‘help’ with the event a few times and had always found himself enraptured by the man’s energy and presence during the sessions. Patton had also always been around for him, helping him learn his way around and never chastising him if he accidentally did something wrong – he instead taught him easily and always with a smile. Patton was such a comfort, which lead to Virgil opening up to him.

Purple hair fell across his eyes as he attempted to avoid Patton’s eyes, “I just… I wasn’t sure why you were here. It’s not Tuesday, so I was just… I dunno, thinking about, maybe it had changed or something… It’s stupid, don’t worry.”

A light giggling had Virgil peeking out from under his hair to see Patton covering his mouth with a hand, attempting to quiet himself. His stomach plummeted, and Virgil began to retreat inside his patched hoodie. Patton suddenly stopped, concerned.

“No, no, no! I’m not laughing at you, Virgil, I promise. It’s just kinda adorable that you even thought about that.” Patton looked at him with something that could only be described as fondness, before he looked back towards where he was sat previously. “I was just taking a moment to help out with those two. Their parents help out around sometimes, so I like to sit with their kids, keep them busy.” 

Virgil swept some of the hair out of his eyes, looking over to the two kids Patton was talking about. He couldn’t help a small smile at the softness in Patton’s voice, “Don’t let me keep you from them. Go on, get back to it.” He went to pick up the last few books from the trolley.

“Come with me!”

Virgil almost dropped the books in his hands, “What?!”

“Come on, Virgil! Come over with me, it’ll be fine, they’re no trouble. They’re sweethearts!” Patton made to grab Virgil’s arm, but stopped himself short to clasp his own hands together and practically beg.

Virgil couldn’t say no to that. He agreed to join as soon as he was done with the last of the books, which he took a little extra time with – now hoping that Logan would catch him in here and give him something else to do, but no such luck. Begrudgingly, the student made his way to the back where Patton sat on the floor. As he approached, all three of them looked up at him.

Patton smiled wide, “Virgil! This is Alex and Jessie.” He gestured towards the two children that sat either side of him, both who were looking up at the taller man with what seemed to be fascination. There was no way they’ve be any older than 6 and that was if Virgil was being generous, “Come join us, we’re reading through this book, 17 Things I’m Not Allowed To Do Anymore.” Patton held up the bright yellow cover, “We just found out that this little girl tried walking home from school backwards, and she’s not allowed to do that anymore!”

Virgil let out a soft huff of a laugh as he pulled one of the beanbags close and sat behind the three. 

Patton continued to read the book with the two kids, but both of them were easily getting distracted by Virgil behind them – especially when he couldn’t hold back a laugh when they read about how the main character froze a fly in the ice tray.

Suddenly, one of them piped up, “Hey mister, why do you have purple hair?”

Patton stopped reading and looked behind to Virgil. He was ready to jump in and save the volunteer, so he opened his mouth to say something, but he was stopped short as Virgil began to speak.

“Well, you see, I had a run in with a witch.” Virgil leant forward, pushing himself onto his knees so he could almost whisper to the kids, as if it were a secret. He shared a quick glance with Patton, who looked shocked that Virgil was even started his own story like this, but soon got the gist of it all and took over for a moment.

“I remember you mentioned this to me!” Patton spun his body around to face Virgil, lowering his voice as well. He shifted his head between all three of them, giving the kids each their own amount of attention, “You said it was one of those witches that give you a curse after you don’t listen to your parents, right?”

“Exactly.” A glint in come to Virgil’s eyes as he mussed up his hair a little in order to show the colour brightening as the light reflected off the individual strands. As he continued speaking of the witch, he used vaguely creepy hand gestures, “The witch found me in my room, after I ignored my parents telling me to eat everything on my plate.” He rolled his eyes with a slight grimace as he pretended to remember, “I mean, does anyone really like vegetables?”

Virgil cut Patton off as he went to follow on after him which caused the two kids to giggle, “Of course you do, Pat. But I didn’t. So, the witch came and cursed me. Telling me that the only way I could ever have coloured hair would be to eat certain foods.”

Patton gasped exaggeratedly, helping along the story. He asked Virgil about the details of the story, finding ways to keep the message of eating healthy. They worked like they’d always done this, creating worlds and telling these stories. They followed on from each other’s new sentence or question almost immediately and it felt like it could have been planned well in advance. The two kids were listening so intently, just wanting to hear about the hair colour curse.

“So, because I’ve been eating all sorts of purple foods to make my hair this purple. Its taken a lot of grapes and blackberries to get this colour-“

“-and eggplants, and all sorts of other purple coloured vegetables.” Patton turned to Alex, “Did you know that there are purple potatoes?”

Both children were enamoured with the older man, now asking all sorts of questions about what other vegetables could be purple. Virgil took a moment for himself, just watching the trio. He noticed a couple enter the room, following what looked like a confused Logan. Virgil felt himself tense as the head librarian’s eyes landed in their small corner and began stalking over.

“Patton, Virgil, what are you both doing over here?” Logan’s voice caused Patton to jump and turn to look up at him.

“Oh, hi Logan! We were helping keep these two busy!” Patton gestured to the two kids with a smile, “Virgil was putting books away and then helped me over here!” As he was talking, the couple that were following Logan stepped forward and the two kids ran up to their parents, chatting excitedly about the story they were told.

All of them couldn’t hold back a smile at the children. The parents said their goodbyes and led the children out of the library, still listening to their babbling. Logan followed them out to the main area of the library, but not after letting both Patton and Virgil know that they’d have to explain what they were doing later.

Virgil raised to his feet, stretching his arms above his head. 

“Don’t worry about Lo, kiddo. I’ll handle him.” Patton took a bit longer, grunting slightly as he reached his full height. As he glanced up at the volunteer, he gave a playful wink, “That was really fun, Virgil. You surprised me…” He spoke as he went to tidy up the corner they’d been sat in, “I never thought you’d been so good with kids.”

Virgil rubbed the back of his neck, “I mean, I just… I dunno, went with it…” He could feel himself blushing a little as he mumbled a little, “Wouldn’t have been as good without your help…”

“Whatever you say, kiddo. I’m sure you could have done it yourself perfectly!” Patton smiled at him genuinely, and Virgil felt something warm inside him at the sight. 

They’d both made their way over to the main desk, “Well, I shouldn’t keep Lo waiting, and I think your shift is over. See you soon, Virgil!” The shorter of the pair walked away towards the office, and Virgil watched as he left. Someone cleared their throat behind him. Virgil span around, eyes wide in shock as he was face-to-face with the new guy.

The new guy watched with a smug smile as Virgil turned away to busy himself with signing out. As he placed the borrowed lanyard back in the basket, the new guy finally spoke up. “So, you and Padre, huh? Wouldn’t have expected that…” 

Virgil just looked at the other, confused but didn’t respond. He instead made his way to the cloakroom to grab his things in order to leave. What Virgil didn’t expect was the new guy to follow him.

“Hey! Wait for me!” The new volunteer quickly signed out himself before jogging to catch up to Virgil, “Excuse me, I was talking! It’s rude to ignore someone, y’know!”

“Strangely, I don’t care.” Virgil threw back as he grabbed his bag, hanging it off his shoulder and fishing out his headphones.

“Yes, well, if we’re to be working together, then I think you should at least be civil.” The new guy shut his locker and then stood in the doorway, blocking the exit, “I don’t believe we’ve been actually introduced.” He pushed his hand out towards Virgil, “Roman. Roman Wonder.”

Virgil snorted softly, but humoured the other by shaking his hand, “Virgil. You don’t need to know my last name.” With that, he pushed past the other and went to walk out of the library. As he passed the front desk, he waved at Patton who smiled and returned it. The burst of warmth returned to his chest, and he ducked his head as he pushed his headphones into place.

There was no way. No, he couldn’t. Virgil couldn’t be finding himself falling for both of the librarians, could he? His face was burning as he considered the thought. But what would be even do about it? It wasn’t like he’d ever dream of coming to either of them and telling them. Virgil just hoped he could act as though everything was normal, and with that new guy – Roman, right? – that might be easier said than done.


	3. Royality

“Good morning, Patton!” Roman strode up to the front desk, hand raised in a greeting. He walked behind the other, pulling out the sign in book.

“Hi Roman!” Patton jumped up from the chair he was sat in at the desk and stood next to the taller man, “Are you ready for today? I’m so happy you came in to help, it’s not easy doing this all on my own.”

Roman looked up from his crouched position as he put the binder back in the cabinet, “No one has offered to help before?”  
The librarian shook his head, “Nah. Logan never really interacts with the events or many people in general, and Virgil’s not really up for being in front of such a large number of kids and making a fool of himself.”

Roman stood to his full height and placed a hand on Patton’s shoulder, giving him one of his most charming smiles, “I am more than happy to make a fool of myself in front of people with you, Patton. I shall take the responsibility in helping you with such a difficult task.” Roman’s smile morphed into a sincere smile at Patton’s laughter.

They walked together to put Roman’s messenger bag away, before heading into the small auditorium space that was attached to the library. Patton headed straight to a cupboard in the back, while Roman stopped a little behind on the small stage-like area. He looked around at the seating, before a yelp and a crash caught his attention.

“Patton! Is everything alright?!” He ran over to the cupboard. Roman braced his arms against the doorframe as he looked inside the small room. On the floor sat Patton surrounded by coils of black cables, a few still in the plastic crate that was overturned. “Patton. What happened?”

“Oh, nothing really!” Patton cheerfully pulled himself up off the floor, “I just tried to get the box down, didn’t expect it to be that heavy is all! It’s all good!” He leant back down to set the box right side up, tidying up the cables on the floor.

Roman took the moment to look around the cupboard. He noticed it was all well-used equipment as well as plastic crates full to the brim of seemingly random toys. “So, what are we having to set up from in here?”

Patton stood, the now full crate in his hands. “First, can you grab the projector from the shelf on the right side.” He slipped past the volunteer to make his way back into the room. 

He went onto explain the process: they’d have to check the speakers and the rest of the sound system, set up the projector, get some microphones and sort them out, distribute some of the plastic instruments while one of them looked through the collections of nursery rhymes. A simple process that took little time.

The projector was hooked up easily, but Roman soon found the speakers popping at Patton turned them on. He rushed over to stop the man doing anything more, launching quickly into a rushed explanation as to why you don’t do that. He then walked Patton through how he should be working with the system, strongly and repeatedly pushing for Patton to turn the volume all the way down before powering them up.

“…and that’s how to turn them on safely. The way you did it with the other causes broken speakers, more often than not.” The volunteer shot a smile to his companion, who was almost looking at him in awe. 

As they made their way back into the cupboard, Patton was pouring praise over Roman, “I can’t believe that it was so simple! I always did hate that popping noise, but I didn’t know how to sort that out! Maybe that’s why we had a lot of issues with speakers breaking or suddenly sounding bad… Oh my gosh, you’ve definitely saved us a bunch!” 

Roman was no stranger to receiving compliments. He’d never openly admit it, but he definitely went out of his way for them at times, but he’d never reacted in such a way. His face was feeling fairly warm, and he swore he was laughing at every little thing the other man said. But surely, he was just imagining it.

They spread out the plastic instruments amongst the central front seats and started welcoming the carers and the children. Roman was somehow surprised by the volume of kids that were coming in to join them for this event and was even more so at how many of them seemed to know Patton.

He didn’t know why he was shocked in anyway. He wasn’t that much of an idiot, he could notice how everyone that frequented the library was on first name basis with the librarian, so it shouldn’t have come as a much of a shock. Roman was roused from his thoughts as he heard Patton introducing him to a group that he was talking to. He entered the conversation, keeping a close eye on the time. As the second ticked away, he could feel the nerves rising inside, but they only spurred him on and made him excited.

It was time to begin the event. Patton grabbed the microphone closest and called for the attention of everyone. “Hi everyone! Wow, there are so many of you today! Today, we have someone new joining and helping us, so you all better be on your best behaviour. Yes, I mean you, young man.” He pointed at one child who was eagerly leaning forward in his carer’s lap, who giggled at the attention.

Roman stepped forward, his own microphone in hand, to introduce himself and begin the first nursery rhyme, accompanied by the other man. His performance skill and confidence immediately took over, as he worked on interacting with the audience he had. He barely noticed that Patton was taking himself out of the event and observing, until he reached the end of his chosen pieces. He turned to face the librarian, but found he was not standing on the stage with him. 

Patton had taken a seat at the edge of the gathered carers and children, grinning widely. Roman then let Patton take over, deciding to watch the supposed master at work.

But Roman couldn’t help but find himself a little distracted from the event that was taking place. Instead, he was focusing just on the man he was watching. The almost never-ending smile, the melodious laugh that followed almost every interaction he had, the warm tone of affection running through his voice. It got past that at some point to Roman also appreciating the overall aesthetic of the man; a little on the soft side, warm cheeks splattered all over with freckles. 

But he knew that all this appreciation would only be able to be just that, appreciation. From his run in with the other volunteer a couple weeks back, he was acutely aware of the feelings that were obviously being shared between them. It was a little disheartening to think that he was finding something within him towards Patton, but he was professional. Roman knew he’d find the way through this.

Once again, Patton speaking his name ripped him away from the thoughts. “Huh? Sorry, what was that?”

Roman made eye contact with Patton, and immediately realised his mistake. There was something soft in his eyes, something that brought Roman’s nerves back in full force. The more relaxed smile and the outstretched hand waiting to be filled with his own made the volunteer’s face warm again. He hoped it wasn’t noticeable or could at least be passed off as embarrassment.

“I was saying you’d join in for the last rhyme we have planned for today. You will join us, won’t you?” 

“Of course!”

Roman jumped to his feet, bringing the microphone back up to his mouth. The two men fell seamlessly into working alongside each other, both finding ways to work with each other’s style. All too soon, it was over and several of the carers were carrying the sleepy children out of the room.

Patton let out a soft breath, gaining Roman’s attention once again, “That was really fun. I’ve never done it with someone before. Obviously, you don’t have to do it every week but…” He turned to catch Roman’s gaze again, “I hope you’ll keep helping me out.”

Patton made his way over to a few of the lingering families. Roman stood for a moment, unsure of what he should be doing. He watched Patton from his position, and the man must have felt someone watching him as he turned around.

He smiled again, “It’s alright, Roman. You can head out of you want to, I’ll put everything away. You go sign out. Go, enjoy the rest of your day!” 

Roman nodded, offering his own smile, “If you say so.” He made his way to up to the office where his bag was, knocking to gain the attention of whoever was in there.  
The door opened. “Ah, Roman. How was it?”

“It was fun. Patton showed me everything, I learnt a lot and I really enjoyed it. The kids seemed to be having fun too…” He adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder.

“Well, I’m glad there is someone else who is happy to host the event. I have been realised it’s rather awful leaving Patton to constantly fulfil that role, no matter how enthusiastic he is about it.” Roman felt a smile tugging at his lips of the thought of the librarian having to reassure his boss that he was more than happy to always be filling the role.

“So,” Roman finally made eye contact with the head librarian who was staring at him, “Can I schedule you in to do the session every other week? It would be the most efficient way to do that.”

Roman thought for a second, before replying, “I um… I was wondering if there was anyway Patton and I could be sharing the session each week? It’s just that, having to do a full hour on your own is kinda strenuous on the voice and I just thought that would be a better solution…?” He trailed off, hoping the piercing gaze of the man in front of him wasn’t actually analysing him right down to his true intentions.

There was a moment of consideration before Logan turned the chair back to face the computer, “You make a fair point. I will consult with Patton about your idea and contact you by the end of the day. Either way, I shall put you down to do the opposing weeks to Patton as a placeholder.”

“Thank you, have a wonderful day!” Roman flashed a grin as he slipped through the door, cheering in his head at the simple thought of possibly being able to enjoy this session every week. Even if he had no chance with the man, he could at least enjoy as much time as he could with the excitable librarian. 


	4. Logince

Logan sighed heavily as he rested his head down on the desk. He hated working the front desk, his interpersonal skills were not anything to write home about which made the task of dealing with people that much harder. Thankfully, he had Patton to be the face of the library. Well, that was if he wasn’t ill. Meaning Logan had to take his role for the day. Which just so happened to be the current state of affairs. Logan groaned internally as he thought about it once again.

While he thought about how he really needed to hire more people who could cover the front desk, a hand practically slammed on the desk. Logan’s head jerked up, only to come face to face with one of his volunteers.

“I don’t think it’s a good impression to have the Head Librarian asleep as the front desk, Logan.” Roman’s face was graced with an irritating smirk.

Logan stood, adjusting his glasses, “I was not sleeping, Roman.” He stopped and turned around, pulling out the volunteers sign in binder as an indication he was done. He didn’t owe the boisterous volunteer an explanation.

That didn’t mean Roman was going to drop the subject, however. “Oh? Then why does the ever-poised and stoic Mr Studier end up with his forehead resting on the front desk in broad daylight?” Roman watched Logan from the corner of his eye as he wrote quickly. There was definitely a sense of pride that he felt as Logan’s body suddenly became stiff as the comment. 

The head librarian turned on his heel to look at the volunteer, “If you must know, I was covering the front desk for the majority of the day today due to Patton being off with some form of illness. I was simply taking a moment to recompose myself.” Logan made sure his tone was final. The conversation was over, “Now, if you are quite done prying, you may put your personal belongings upstairs and then sort this trolley of books. This is your first time on a late shift, so you’ll find it to be quite quiet.” 

With that, Logan walked off to a corner of the library where a half empty trolley awaited him. 

About an hour passed with no interruptions. Logan was pleased he could finally be productive. No one walked over to the front desk as the entirety of the library was practically empty, only a few people scattered about the desks. He’d not only completed the cart he was originally working on, but he was also able to reorganise everything else that had been put out of place. 

As Logan was about to exit from between the bookshelves to get to the next cart he’d positioned earlier, Roman once again popped into his vision.

“I got it done! You need me for anything else?” Roman leant against the side of the bookshelf, making it so Logan was unable to pass normally. 

He was, however, able to duck under the volunteer’s arm. He righted himself as he stood back to full height, his back to Roman, “If you would please search around to find another cart. There should be two more around. I am heading over between the two shelves over here,” he started in the direction he was heading, “If you cannot find one, please come and find me.”

Logan refused to turn to face the volunteer. It wasn’t that Logan didn’t like the man, he wouldn’t have allowed him to volunteer if he didn’t. It was simply that Roman sometimes rubbed Logan the wrong way, especially with his attitude.

The librarian was absent-mindedly working at replacing the books on the shelves as he thought back to the multitude of times Logan had to have words with Roman. The times from when Roman was being too loud, the times when Roman wasn’t working hard enough, the times when Roman was late. There was one particular incident that arose in his mind and he sighed at the simple thought.

It occurred on a particularly busy day just over a month prior and Logan had requested more volunteers and staff be on hand. Roman was stationed on a particularly full cart of books in the Fiction section. Logan was busy assisting Patton at the front desk, specifically filling up a new cart and ensuring that the patrons were dealt with in a timely fashion - meaning cutting off Patton’s rambling pleasantries with every other person who approached. 

Eventually, Patton grasped the idea and went about keeping the conversations short and sweet. This gave Logan the chance to go and swap the now extremely full cart with another that they could start filling up once again. He headed straight for the Fiction section, assuming Roman would be almost done with the one he’d been given at the top of the hour. 

What greeted Logan when he arrived was far from what he expected. 

He found Roman, back flush against the shelves behind him, with another man harshly kissing him. Logan could recall the wave of white hot anger that washed over his body as the scene in front of him registered. The rest of the encounter was a bit of a blur.

He could remember the other man sauntering away, with a click of the tongue whilst flicking his sunglasses back down over his eyes. He could remember getting angry with Roman, telling him in a not so soft voice that it was unprofessional and various other things. 

As he reminisced, Logan pulled a step over to where he was standing in order to reach the top of the shelves. He tried to think of everything about that scenario but found what he couldn’t remember far more interesting. What he couldn’t remember was what was happened after. He knows he stormed off and went up the office for a while and he didn’t see Roman for at least a week.

He hummed in thought as he stepped onto the object he’d placed. There was this odd hazy memory of an uncomfortable Roman looking entirely unlike himself, but Logan couldn’t quite place in which part of the event that was supposed to fit. There were several points where it could have occurred, but it was almost impossible to accurately place due to-

Logan was torn away from that thought as he felt himself slip backwards off of the step. A soft yelp noise - that he would most definitely deny making later - tumbled out of his throat as he did all he could to brace himself for impact with the floor. 

But the hard impact never came. Instead, he felt as though he was almost being held?

He realised his eyes were closed. He couldn’t remember at what point he closed them, but as parts were clicking back into place he found them shooting open to see if he was correct. 

The reality that greeted him was cruel.

Upon looking up, he found himself once again greeted with the cocky smirk of his volunteer. Logan’s body was rigid, still bracing for that impact as well as due to the shock. There was something that wasn’t right, but it also definitely was. Wait, what was going on?! His brain was trying to process hundreds of thoughts in the same second, but it was Roman’s voice that grounded all of that to a halt.

“Good thing I came over here when I did, or else you’d be on the ground and both your dignity and body would have been wounded.”

Logan finally snapped himself back to normal with that. His face reddened significantly as he squirmed in a futile attempt to get out of Roman’s arms, “Put me down!” The volunteer complied, helping Logan back to his feet, “Honestly. Being on the floor is a much more inviting prospect.”

“I never pegged you for that sort, Logan, but if you say so…” Roman’s tone had a hint of suggestiveness that paired well with the infernal smirk that was ever present.   
Logan spluttered slightly before speaking, “That was not what I was implying!”

“Whatever you say.” 

The librarian could feel that tight grip on his composure loosening and he needed to get away before it let go completely. He adjusted his clothing, clearly flustered, “Finish this cart. I have some business to attend to in the office.”

For the third time that day, Logan walked away from the volunteer.

He did all he could to keep his mind clear until he was locked in the office, the small space he was most used to in the entire building. Logan beelined for the closest chair and sat down quickly. His head rested in his hands as everything was beginning to catch up with him.

There were several things he just could not understand, or rather he wasn’t willing. Things made sense in a way; the reactions he had today and in the past, the sudden wash of emotion that had come over him, certain images that refused to leave his mind no matter how hard he tried to ignore them.

But all of it just didn’t make sense. It just couldn’t. Not with…

Logan fully slumped over on the desk with a frustrated groan, pushing the keyboard out of the way so his forehead could rest on the cold surface.

Could he really be falling for a second of his volunteers? He searched and searched for any other possible explanation, but there just simply wasn’t one. Everything was adding up.  
In his mind, Logan begrudgingly accepted this new fact. As he did so, he began to think back to the event that occurred just that short time ago. Certain bodies morphed in his mind’s eye, changing to fit this new narrative he suddenly desired. Perhaps it would be much easier to be rid of the volunteer’s cocky attitude if he could just recre-

A short two knocks hit the desk and Logan’s body quickly sat upright.

Yet again, Roman interrupted his thoughts. 

“So, what was it this time? Was the office just too overwhelming?” Roman perched himself at the end of the desk, looking expectantly at the librarian,

Logan’s voice was caught. He absolutely despised the way Roman was able to rile him up so easily but having him doing so after the images that had been floating through his mind was definitely making it worse. He took a deep breath that he hoped carried an air of frustration, “If you are done with all the tasks downstairs, then you are free to leave, Roman.”

There was a flash of a smirk on Roman’s face as he walked away from the desk, over to the lockers at the far end of the room. Logan couldn’t help but watch the volunteer out of the corner of his eye as he prepared to leave.

“Well, have a nice rest of the evening.” Roman spoke as he walked the length of the office to reach the door. He paused as his hand rested on the door handle, “Oh, and be careful, wouldn’t want you falling for anyone else now, would we?” And with that, Roman was gone.

Logan was left staring at the closing door, bewildered. 

“That was awful…” He muttered to himself, turning the chair away to face the still empty screen. The darkened reflection of his face couldn’t hide the fact he was blushing heavily. He carded a hand through his hair in frustration. Of course, even the most terrible of jokes would work on him now.


	5. Prinxiety

“Ah, Roman. Perfect timing.”

The volunteer looked up from where he was signing in to see Logan standing on the opposite end of the counter, a folder full of paperwork resting in his arms.

“I would like you to go and find Virgil, take this cart along with you. He should be almost complete with the one he’s working with. If you would also like to leave your belongings with me, I shall take them up to the lockers and return to you with the key as soon as I am able to. Is this alright with you?”

While Logan had finished his instructions with a question, Roman had already learnt that it didn’t really mean that the answer had much weight to what he would ultimately find himself doing.

“Of course! Thank you for the kind offer!” He pulled his bag and jacket from his shoulders, handing them both to Logan. He flashed a quick smile before manoeuvring the cart around to the non-fiction portion of the library. 

He left the cart somewhere that could be easily accessed, but still out of the way before scouring for his fellow volunteer. As he searched, an idea popped into his mind.

“Oh, Virgil…” He whispered loudly, adding a lilt to his voice that aiding in upping the creep factor of his voice, “Come out, come out, wherever you are…” He slowly stalked along the rows, hoping to catch the other off-guard.

Now that he thought about it, Roman had never really interacted a lot with Virgil. They’d always seemed to be far away from each other whenever they did crossover a shift, and sometimes it could be implied that Virgil was avoiding Roman all together. Which meant that Roman didn’t know a lot about the other. 

His curiosity was immediately piqued. He was suddenly thirsty to understand the volunteer, to get to know him, to see what made him tick, what scared him, what he loved.   
Woah, where did that come from? Roman thought to himself.

“What are you doing?”

Roman all but screamed. He wasn’t expecting a voice. He looked up from his hunched position to see Virgil, staring down at him with an almost blank expression that still managed to radiate confusion.

Roman sprang up to his full height - relishing in the fact he was just that little bit taller than Virgil - before speaking, “I was told to come and find you! We’re to be working together, Logan’s orders!”

He watched as Virgil’s hands dug their way into the pockets of his patched hoodie. There was a moment of contemplation, where it seemed Virgil was fighting internally with himself. He eventually sighed, “Fine. Where’re the books?”

Roman smiled widely and led the other back to the cart he’d previously placed, and they both got to work. He tried multiple times to engage the other in conversation, but it just didn’t seem to be working. He’d only get a simple answer, or a shrug, or a smirk, or nothing at all! There was one point where Virgil, in response to one of Roman’s joking statements, only responded with a soft snort and a smirk. 

This lit a fire within Roman. It was now a challenge. He needed to get Virgil to be more open with him, he needed to be able to have a conversation with him. He needed Virgil to smile and laugh. Roman was more determined with each lacklustre response he got throughout the day. 

It felt like hours had passed when Logan appeared.

“Roman, as promised, I bring you the locker key. I apologise for taking a bit longer than I planned.” Once Roman had taken the key off of him, Logan’s attention turned to Virgil, “Virgil, it is time for you to leave. Thank you for coming in on such short notice.”

Roman felt like he was seeing things, as he could almost swear his fellow volunteer’s face was turning a little pink and that a smile was threatening to break through, but he couldn’t be sure of that. It was only a split second he had to make his observation before Virgil pushed past and left.

Weeks passed with Roman constantly thinking and dreaming up new ideas to get the dark volunteer to finally crack a smile.

They’d gotten past phase one of his plan after three weeks. Virgil was seemingly opening up to him and they’d had a conversation that he’d actually been an active participant in, and it was glorious. Roman felt like he was walking on clouds for hours after the conversation had ended. However, none of his further plans were working and he was almost out of ideas.

Roman groaned to himself as he crossed out yet another plan in his notepad. He was sat in a nearby café, waiting for the rain outside to pass. He watched the droplets run down the window as he racked his brain for anything else he could do. 

“Plan 47 didn’t work. How could it not work?” He muttered to himself, “It was just perfect… Patton was in literal tears, but Virgil was still just standing there… and then Logan had to interrupt and ruin it…”

He kept thinking and wallowing in his failures as he entered the library for his shift. He continued to try and come up with another fantastic plan as he worked.

“Hey Roman!”

His thoughts were interrupted by Patton calling to him as he passed by. “Yes? What do you need me for?” As he approached, a genuine smile appeared on both their faces.

“I just wanted to know if you were doing alright, kiddo. You’ve looked a little distracted and down today, is everything alright?”

“Everything is perfectly fine, Patton. Just things aren’t quite going the way I want them to at the moment, but I assure you I am doing just wonderfully!”

Patton seemed to let go of some tension in his body at Roman’s statement, “That’s good. I’d hate to have you upset! Now, what I actually need you for!” The librarian reached over and picked up a stack of books, “Could you put all of these back? Logan left this note saying that its like super important that they go back like right away, so…?”

Before Patton had finished, the volunteer was sweeping them out of his arms and into his own. “For you, dearest Patton, of course. I shall take on such a large task, I shall bear the weight of this burden!” He began to step away, leaving Patton a giggling mess, “I hope to return to you someday with tales from my perilous journey!”

He was happy he could at least get Patton to laugh and smile, and really, isn’t that what he should focus on? He was so lost in thought as he walked, weighing up all the things he’d done in an attempt to get Virgil to smile and thinking about if he should even continue his attempt to best the challenge he’d set himself. This meant that he wasn’t really paying attention to his surroundings, he was merely walking on autopilot. 

He stopped between the correct shelves, but just continued staring directly ahead, not really searching for the place where the books should live.

A hand rested on his shoulder.

Roman screamed, scrambling away from the hand. As he shuffled back, he caught his feet on the carpet and went down. The books in his arms were thrown in the air so he could catch himself, but they came crashing back down on top of his body, making another loud noise exit his throat as they made contact. He groaned, slowly coming to terms with his current position. Then he stilled completely.

There was laughter. He could hear laughter. It wasn’t familiar laughter, but it wasn’t completely unfamiliar. It was almost rhythmic, having a breathy quality to it, but that might have been because it was being muffled by something and the owner of the laughter was trying their hardest to not let it out.

Roman looked up, eyes wide like an awestruck child. He locked eyes with Virgil, who had one of his hands over his mouth, the arm of his hoodie covering it as well. He went to stand, using the shelf next to him to help himself.

What he didn’t realise was, his hand was resting on the tops of the books, not the shelf itself. Which caused him to head straight back down to the ground as he placed weight onto his hand, followed by several more books. He pouted and whined like a petulant child in frustration.

That caused the dam to break wide open.

Virgil practically fell to the ground in a fit of laughter, the hand that was previously over his mouth holding onto the end of the shelving unit for dear life. His face was split open with the widest smile Roman could ever recall seeing, and his laugh was just spilling out of him uncontrollably. His other arm was wrapped around his stomach.

Roman was back to being completely still for a moment as he took it all in. He couldn’t help but stare, almost not believing it was real. 

Normally, he’d be offended that someone was laughing at his misfortune like this, but he just couldn’t bring himself to be upset about it. Instead, he found himself smiling as he watched the normally cautious volunteer let himself go and enjoy himself. 

“I did it.” Roman said, his smile widening, “I actually did it! I got you to laugh! Not that there was really any doubt that I couldn’t!”

Virgil was gently wiping away tears from his eyes, not caring that he was smudging his make up a little. There were short giggles that kept bubbling up to the surface, but he was finally able to talk.

“You definitely did it, Wonderboy. You need some help getting up there?” Before Roman could respond, Virgil’s hand was outstretched towards him and, instinctively, Roman grasped hold of it. Using both their weight, Roman was quickly back up on his feet.

“What is going on over here? Do I need to remind you that this is a li-” Logan’s practised rant was cut off as he rounded the shelves to find his volunteers both standing there, surrounded by books on the floor. Patton’s head popped out from behind Logan as well.

Roman noted that Logan’s eyes lingered on his hand and he glanced down to see that both their hands were still holding the others. There was a momentary panic as he looked at Virgil, who’d clearly noticed the exact same thing. Both of them ripped their hands away, as though they’d been shocked.

Logan sighed in frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose. Patton looked up at him with concern, stepping out so he was now standing next to him. 

Roman regarded all three of them and was suddenly struck with a realisation that he’d somehow found something to love about each of them. He was beginning to panic, but Logan’s voice brought him away from his thoughts for a moment.

“I’ve decided I don’t want to know what happened here. Clean these up quickly. Mortenson, you’re going to stay here. Wonder, other side of the library, I’ll have Patton ready a task for you.”

The head librarian stalked away, leaving the rest of them standing in silence. Patton looked between the volunteers, almost as if he were conflicted but a sudden shout of his name from Logan had him scurrying away with an apologetic smile.

Roman and Virgil began replacing books, both unsure of what to say. Roman was replaying the events in his head, when something occurred to him.  
“You made a Disney reference to me… and you remembered my last name…”

“I mean, yeah… so what?”

Roman stared as Virgil tentatively locked eyes with him, both of them smiling softly. 

“You should probably go. Logan might actually rip you apart if you spend too much time here.”

“Why, Virgil, it sounds as though you’re trying to get rid of me!” That earned him a playful shove from his fellow volunteer as he went to pass.

“Shut up and just get going.”

They shared another quick smile before Roman exited between the shelves and made his way over to wherever he was directed. Once again, he felt like he was walking on air, but it almost felt as though there was a storm on the horizon. Roman pushed that thought aside. He’d get to that when it came to it.


	6. Logicality

It had been a long day at the end of a long week. Everyone had been called to be on hand for at least three days that week. But thankfully the library would be closed for the bank holiday tomorrow. Meaning they could all take a well-deserved break.

This didn’t mean that Logan wasn’t enjoying his favourite part of the day.

It was just after they’d closed for the day, the front doors locked tight and most of the artificial lighting turned off. This left the early evening sunlight to flood in through the high windows, creating this almost ethereal feel to the whole building. It was as through he were standing in a completely separate world to the one outside.

He wasn’t alone in this. Patton was always the last one out with him.

Something was eating at Logan as he considered his longest standing member of staff. It was almost something akin to disappointment. Then it struck him. 

Due to the long and busy work week they’d all experienced, there really hadn’t been any time for any of them to really have a moment to talk. Patton had been able to talk with patrons a lot, and hearing that was familiar voice throughout the week had been a constant comfort to Logan - he honestly wondered if he’d ever be able to run this place without Patton at times - but they hadn’t had a moment to truly talk.

Usually, Logan would schedule the two of them on the same lunch break at least once during the week. But this week they’d had to spare that luxury as they needed a senior member of staff in at all times, because of the rush.

Logan now cast his eyes over to the wall behind the front desk, where Patton was doing his usual duties of cleaning up and sorting through all the leaflets. He decided to pause his task and make his way over to the other member of staff.

As he approached, Logan cleared his throat so as not to startle Patton too much. He did make the other jump with the action. 

“Oh, Lo. You scared me!” Patton’s customary cheery smile was there as he faced Logan, “What are you doing over here? You need some help?”

Logan felt a gentle smile creep onto his face, “I thought that, for today, we could work through tasks together. We haven’t had a chance to catch up this week.” 

The simple fact Patton’s entire face seemed to light up at Logan’s suggestion was more than enough reason for him to get to work alongside his co-worker. Patton almost immediately pulled Logan into a conversation about the events of the week, and they both just fell into step beside each other.

Logan easily responded to all of Patton’s questions and stories, as well as providing his own. Once they were both out of things to say, a comfortable silence began. It didn’t feel as though they needed to talk to one another, they still managed to stay out of each other’s way as they completed the leaflets.

The two made their way over to the rest of the shelves that Logan had abandoned in order to spend time with Patton. Logan immediately went to where he left off, but Patton stayed at the end, shuffling awkwardly.

“Patton? Is everything alright?” Logan paused, concern rising into his stomach with nausea. 

Patton’s eyes seemed to want to look anywhere but Logan, “I was just, um, well, I checked the time and I know how much you like to be out on time, and I realised that us working together is probably slowing us down, so I was thinking that maybe you’d be annoyed if we kept working in the same space because it was taking so long. But then I didn’t want to assume or anything, but um, yeah…”

Logan stared, trying to process the sudden explosion of emotion that was tossed in his direction. He was still able to sense Patton’s unease, “Patton. On a normal day, perhaps I would be a little annoyed if it took us longer to complete tasks we have done many times in the past.” Logan watched Patton deflate even more and quickly rushed to complete his thought, “But today is not a normal day.”

Logan could feel the nausea dissipating as Patton peeked up at him, and he continued, “It has been a long, tiring week for us all and it would be beneficial for us to finish sooner rather than later. This does not mean that I wish for us to stop completing these tasks together.” He gestured for Patton to join him, “Please Patton. This is close to the final task, and with the two of us working the way we do, I have the utmost faith that it will be completed as quickly as possible.”

The light was quickly returning to Patton and he was back to smiling as he made his way over to join the head librarian.

“I’m sorry for being a silly, Logan.”

Logan snorted softly, “No need to apologise, except maybe for that terrible sentence you just uttered.”

Patton giggled and relaxed.

They both fell back into the rhythm of working together. They were all simple, monotonous tasks such as putting all the books back into place and pulling all the books forward, checking that all the library’s computers were switched off, making sure all cupboards were locked and lights were off. But the two of them worked through them at a fast pace.

They were just beginning to tidy up the office - filing away the last pieces of paperwork, turning off computers etc - when Logan realised something felt different.

It was certainly not bad, quite the opposite in fact. He realised the room felt tranquil, even more so than usual. Logan usually came to the office to escape for many reasons, but never had it felt like he was so separated from society. He could still hear the cars and buses rushing past on the road outside, the trains leaving and passing through the station were still there, but it just felt… different.

The only new factor was Patton being here, at this time of the day, with him. Logan looked over at the other as he thought.

This evening had been exactly the same, now that he thought about it. The comfortable noise of Patton working alongside him, the easy conversation that started and stopped without expectation of response, the comfortable silence that blanketed them so often. 

Then he thought to the small details. The occasional bump of their arms as they worked together, the fact that Patton had taken the initiative to work at the lower shelves whilst Logan had taken the higher on instinct. There were moments when Patton had just giggled to himself as he read the spines of the books or began humming an unknown tune. 

As he thought more and more about the other, there was a slow build up of an indescribable feeling. It felt blazing hot and icy cold, all at the same time. Just running through his veins as he considered the man he’d been working with for the past few years, the man he’d been friends with for a few longer than that in a completely different manner.

And yet, Logan felt nothing but calm. Yes, the opposing temperatures were still there and fighting one another. But Logan could only feel calm, serene, at peace. As though, this is where he was supposed to be, how things were meant to work out. He went to wrack his brain, but something inside him stopped it dead, just making him feel.

Surely, he couldn’t be… No, this was so different. The last time he’d realised, there was a feeling of dread, of excitement. It couldn’t possibly be that he was seeing Patton in the same light as the others. The simple fact the thought of it didn’t concern him must mean he was being stupid, that he was wrong. He was simply just comfortable with the other man, that was all.

Then a hand rested on his arm, rousing Logan from his thoughts. 

The touch was warm, leaving the spot it was resting on tingling pleasantly. Logan looked down to Patton’s questioning eyes and was struck with his answer.

It was definitely what he thought.

He had fallen for all three of them.

“Logan, is everything alright? You’ve been staring at that spot for the past few minutes…” Patton was clearly concerned.

Logan felt himself flushing slightly at getting caught, “Ah, well, I must be more tired than I thought… I apologise for concerning you. I’m also sorry for making you have to finish everything on your own.”

“It’s no problem at all! Let’s just get out of here and enjoy our day of freedom!” Patton may have smiled at him as he spoke, but his eyes betrayed him as they still held much concern. It was clear he wanted to push more but instead offered a simple, “You know I’m here if you ever wanna talk!” Logan nodded in response and led the way over to the lockers to retrieve their belongings. 

It was soon after that they were standing in the cool night air. Logan noticed Patton lingering at the door as he locked the back entrance and turned to face him when he was done.

“Thank you for your help, Patton.”

“Oh, it’s nothing! I’m happy to stay a little longer!”

“No. I mean, all your help. I truly do not know how this library would function without you.”

Patton let out a soft squeal, “Aw Logan, that’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard you say!”

Logan chuckled lightly, “I’m merely just stating facts.”

The two of them stood there, smiling softly at each other, as if they were stuck in a trace. Logan caught himself first and lowered his gaze to the floor. He almost felt as though he should reach out and offer the other a hug or something, just anything that he could do to truly show the immense amount of gratitude he felt, but he couldn’t bring himself to do anything.

“Well, I should probably be getting on home. See you in a couple days.” Patton was turning to leave, when-

“Wait!”

Logan’s outburst seemed to shock the two of them.

“Okay. I’m waiting.” Patton turned back to Logan, who was trying to figure out what he should do. 

He’d made up his mind. There was a moment where Logan steeled his gaze before taking a step forward and opening his arms a fraction, an obvious invitation. He watched as Patton’s smile dropped in shock, almost as if he wanted to question Logan about this new development. He watched as Patton took his own step forward and took the invitation, loosely wrapping his arms around Logan with a smile. Logan’s arms fell to rest comfortably on the other. 

It was brief. Almost too brief for Logan’s liking, but he knew he mustn’t let Patton in on his new discovery just yet. When they parted, the tingling sensation he felt on his arm was now resting in the same places Patton’s arms had been embracing him and it was almost as though he could still feel it.

Patton’s smile was warm, his eyes fond, “That was new. What’s all this about suddenly? Complements, hugs. Who are you and what have you done with the real Logan?” 

The pair shared a short laugh.

“I can assure you I am still myself. I think the exhaustion is allowing me the freedom to be more open with you.” It wasn’t a complete lie, but Logan wasn’t sure if it was the truth.

“Well then, we should make you exhausted more often! Maybe then we’ll all get a complement.”

“Now, let’s not make assumptions here.”

The both stood there for a moment longer, before Patton turned to leave again. He said his goodbye and waved as he walked down towards the main street. Logan simply watched him go, a sigh slipping through his lips as he felt the tension in his shoulders completely leave.

This was a positive development, Logan told himself. After the discovery of the other two having their own private moment a couple weeks back, Logan was happy to have this light feeling again. No longer did he feel entirely trapped and despairing, instead there was this glimmer of hope shining. Yet he couldn’t deny himself the true facts.

As he climbed into his car and started the engine, Logan made up his mind. He’d just have to talk to them all together and figure this out. But that would wait a while. He’d much rather embrace the lightness he was feeling, rather than face the reality that he could see on the horizon.


	7. LAMP

Patton could only smile as he took in the sight of the library. It wasn’t full of patrons, it was actually a fairly quiet day. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Virgil working between a couple of the bookshelves. An elderly patron had come to the front desk and asked for Patton’s assistance with one of the computers and now Patton was on his way back over to his usual post. He passed through the central area of the library, where he was able to hear Roman’s boisterous voice accompanied by several excited children coming from the children’s section.

Patton’s smile was consistent, even as he spotted Logan standing at the front desk with a couple other library employees. He did speed up a little however, hoping to catch the head librarian before he left. 

“Always good to see you out of the office, Logan!” Patton giggled as he found he’d startled the other a little. He looked up at the other, pure happiness radiating from him, but Logan did not share his enthusiasm. In fact, he looked fairly uncomfortable and nervous. “Lo? Is everything alright?”

Logan cleared his throat, avoiding Patton’s eyes, “I shall be. Could you go up to the meeting room? There are some things I wish to discuss.”

Patton stared for a moment, but still responded with a smile, “Of course! I’ll put the sign on the door!”

Then Logan’s body seemed to relax a little, offering a small smile, “Thank you, Patton. I need to inform others about the meeting as well, so I shall meet you up there.”  
The shorter librarian turned and almost hopped up the stairs, heading up towards the sizable cupboard that they used as a meeting room. Patton opened the door and flicked on the light switch, immediately feeling at home in the small room. He noted that four chairs were situated around the table, as opposed to the usual three. 

He searched around through the shelves that lined as much of the walls as they could in order to find the sign they put on the outside of the door that told the rest of the staff that a meeting was occurring. After a couple minutes, Patton found it slipped under the keyboard that was on the table in the centre of the room. He slid it into the plastic holder on the front of the door and was about to let the door swing shut, when he saw Virgil approaching. Patton held the door open for the volunteer, smiling widely.

“Thanks.” Virgil mumbled, clearly not entirely comfortable with the idea of having a meeting with Logan. Patton realised that his brain must be running a marathon at this moment  
Patton stepped around the volunteer and settled himself into the office chair that sat on the opposite side of the table to the computer screen. He pulled out the softer chair that was next to him, clearly offering it to the still standing Virgil, “Virgil, it’s alright, just come sit here next to me. Whatever Logan wants to discuss can’t be bad, he even told me there’s nothing to worry about!”

Virgil snorted softly as he perched on the edge of the chair, “That doesn’t exactly stop my brain from screaming everything, but whatever…” He was still talking quietly. Patton took in the volunteer’s body language quickly - the fact he was clearly trying to make himself as small as possible as if he could hide, the fidgeting with his hands in his lap, the way he was tugging at the edge of his hoodie sleeves, the slight shake of his body, the darting eyes that tried so hard to simply be trained to the edge of the table in front of him. 

Patton just wanted to reach out and hug the poor man, wanted to get him to show that small smile of his, wanted to see the softness of his gaze that accompanied such a smile. He just wanted Virgil to be himself again.

Patton opened his mouth to say something, hand going to rest on top of Virgil’s own, when the door opened. Roman entered with Logan almost right behind. The door closed gently behind them. Roman looked only a little shocked as he noticed the other two.

“Roman, please take a seat.” Logan’s voice wasn’t as sharp as it usually was. It was almost as if Logan were just tired, exhausted. He seemed reluctant to even begin whatever he’d called them all in for.

Once again, Patton felt an almost magnetic pull towards the head librarian. All he wanted was to pull him into his arms and hold him until whatever was eating at him was gone. Then he could go back to being the blunt yet calming figure that he usually worked alongside. The one that Patton had known the longest, the one who could give Patton reasons behind anything and everything that they were doing, the only person he knew that could run a public service but have such issues with the actual public who made use of it. But Patton held himself back, trying to not let the worry show on his face. 

Roman had pulled out the chair opposite Virgil on the other side of the table. He sat down, seated at an angle so he could see everyone, “So, why are we all here, Logan?”

Logan took his glasses and cleaned them, taking his time. He was trying to choose his words, making sure that he was about to get his point across with the least amount of fluff. He remained standing at the head of the table, a certain nervous energy surrounded him that was abnormal. Once the glasses were situated back on his face, he regarded each of them in turn before speaking carefully. 

“It has come to my attention that there is some form of tension between all four of us.” 

Each of them had their own reaction. Virgil found a way to become even more tense, suddenly becoming a statue. Roman glanced around the room, fear clearly in his eyes while his face attempted to remain as stoic as he could keep it. Patton almost felt bad for the fact he was a little confused by Logan’s statement, meaning his simply tilted his head to the side and offered up a questioning gaze. Logan cleared his throat, trying to ignore the pink tint that was resting across his cheeks, before he continued.

“I have decided it would be in the best interests of ourselves, as well as for the rest of our colleagues, if we were completely open about this. We cannot simply continue trying to ignore whatever is plaguing the air between us.” The head librarian’s gaze dropped to focus on the centre of the table, avoiding eye contact with all three of the other occupants of the room, “If need be, I can provide the starting point for this.”

Silence fell on the room. Patton looked around, noting that all three of them were not meeting his gaze. The concern was rising higher with each passing second, he was still utterly lost on what was going on around him. Why this sudden shift? What was Logan talking about? What “tension”? I mean, there was definitely tension now but only because it had been brought up. Patton wasn’t sure what to do. Then Logan resumed talking.

“I anticipated this. I shall begin.” Another steadying breath, “I believe that I have found aspects in you all that give me reason to…” He trailed off, almost uncertain of himself, but he powered on through, “Reason to like all three of you. And I do not just mean in simply a friendly manner. What I mean to say is… I believe I am romantically interested in you all.” 

Patton watched as Virgil’s head snapped up at Logan’s words, while Roman’s mouth dropped open. Both were simply speechless, while Patton felt a bubble of warmth inside of him that just made him smile. Logan’s eyes shifted between all of them again, resting on Patton last. 

Logan’s hand went out to stop Roman as he went to speak, evidently not finished, “However, I am aware that not all of you may reciprocate my personal feelings, and I entirely understand. There is also the fact that there is clear romantic interest between some of you. Virgil, Roman. I wish to say that I support the two of you in your relationship, no matt-“

A sudden outburst from both volunteers stopped Logan in his tracks. They were both looking at each other with wide eyes. Virgil was still almost entirely tense, while Roman was just looking utterly confused.

“Hold on just a second there, Logan.” Roman held out a hand, copying Logan’s original gesture towards himself. He spoke slow, almost as though he were still piecing together what had just been said to him, “You believe, I mean, you think that, Virgil and I, us, we-” He gestured wildly across the table,”- are dating, or could be? What do you mean? How did you come to that conclusion, I mean, I just…” Roman practically bit his tongue, clearly not wanting to say too much. His eyes were suddenly fearful as he looked over at Virgil.

Logan was seemingly in a state of shock also, “I just thought, well, after what both Patton and I arrived at the other week. It just seemed like the, the most sensible conclusion…”  
“You mean, the…” Roman started laughing, almost as if he’d completely lost it. The laugh was unnatural, too strained. Patton was scared, both of and for the volunteer. He wished he could find the quickest solution to help him, rid him of the discomfort he was clearly in. All Patton ever wanted was just to have the wonderful, eccentric, over the top Roman to be who he was. He wanted him to be happy, to share his imaginative stories with him, to make him giggle and smile endlessly. That’s all he wanted. 

Roman’s next words brought Patton out of his thoughts, “Logan. What could you possibly mean by that? As much as I could wish and hope and beg whatever higher power there may be in this universe for there to even be a chance of Virgil having an interest in me, there is no way he would choose me over either of you two!” The threat of silence loomed ever closer as Roman was seemingly getting to the end of his rant, but then he continued, “And let me tell you this, Logan. You should really stop assuming things, because you’ve been wrong with both of the assumptions you’ve thrown our way!” He laughed again, this time it was hallow and bitter, “I can tell you, with complete confidence, that I do return the same feelings. Heck, the same can be said towards all three of you!” 

Patton was definitely scared, but as he heard Roman confess that he held feelings for them all, as he watched Roman almost deflate and collapse onto the table in front of him, he felt the warmth return. He felt the smile spread across his face, and he felt so much joy that it took all of his willpower not to start giggling right there.

Roman, on the other hand, was on the brink of tears, “I never thought any of you would accept that I held feeling for you all… but I guess Logan was right, it’s best to get this all out here, so we can then move on…” He groaned and threw both his arms over his head, “Just let me die here, while I wallow in my despair, alright? I must come to terms with the fact that I am to be alone, and that I shall now have to avoid you all in order to keep peace around here!”

There was no time for silence now. Patton immediately noticed Virgil shuffling awkwardly in his seat, readying himself for whatever he was about to say. Again, he felt the urge to reach out and comfort the volunteer, but he wasn’t sure if it would be received well in the high-tension situation they were all in and considering the subject matter. That didn’t stop Patton from continually aching to do so.

Virgil’s voice was quiet, but it almost felt like it echoed in the quiet of the room, “You, you think I… I don’t, like you?” The question got Roman to move his hands and raise his head, so he could look at the other. There was something almost like hope shining in his eyes.

Virgil’s arms were wrapped around his body, his gaze now fixated on the floor just to the left of him, so Patton was unable to see his face, “Maybe you should take your own advice some time, Wonder.” Patton didn’t need a view of the smirk, he could easily hear it, “I mean, maybe, at the start… You’re loud and obnoxious-”

“Hey!”

“-but that doesn’t mean anything now. I’m the one who should be ‘wallowing in my sadness’ or whatever, because why would any of you want to be with me when you all so clearly like each other so much more.” Virgil was beginning to talk faster, “I mean, it’s so fucking obvious, you could probably see it from like across town or, like, in space or whatever. It’s just, I could totally see it the other day when Patton and Roman were planning out some story time stuff or whatever you two were doing, and then later when Roman and Logan both left the office and both of you were like super red, I mean it was just so obvious and I just don’t fit with that, like even if I wanted to be in that.” 

Virgil was curling in on himself tighter and tighter, his back pressed hard against the back of the chair. His head was resting on his knees now, which he’d pulled up against himself as he’d spoken. Whether it was from the fact he just spoke without breath for a long while, or if it were something else, it was becoming clear to Patton that Virgil was having to fight hard to keep his breathing controlled. 

“I’ve never felt this before, I didn’t even want to think about it, but… it’s been eating at me for months, fucking with my brain and life. I just want it over. Go ahead. Go be happy together. That’s all I could want since I fucking love you all.”

Virgil choked on his own breath after he said his final words. He threw himself forward, feet back on the ground as he coughed violently. Patton was immediately there, gently getting him through it. He said nothing as he was just unsure of what to say. Instead, he looked around at the other two in the room.

Logan was still in a state of shock, he hadn’t moved since Roman had started speaking. His eyes were seemingly distant, but Patton knew him well enough to know he was taking all the information that was just revealed to him and he was analysing it all. Roman, meanwhile, was looking at Virgil with all the concern in the world. He looked as though he might jump over the table just to hold his fellow volunteer in his arms. 

Virgil stopped choking and raised his head slightly, just enough so Patton could see his disbelieving expression, “I just fucking said that… Fuck, I just said that…” He muttered, almost emotionless. 

Patton finally had a moment to consider Virgil’s words. The warmth was there again, and this time it wasn’t just a bubble, it was essentially a balloon that felt like it was raising him up. He felt so light, he couldn’t even remember a time where he felt such happiness. Patton couldn’t stop the giggles from escaping this time. 

They started soft, but slowly grew in volume and frequency until he was just a giggly, squirming mess. The giggles turned into full laughter when Virgil, Roman and Logan’s eyes fell on him. All too soon, he was coming down from the high.

“Care to explain what was just so funny?” Roman’s tone was accusatory.

“You’re all just so silly!”

Patton went on to explain to all three that he’d noticed from the beginning that they’d all had something special. He couldn’t quite describe what it was exactly, but there was just something that Patton was immediately drawn to with each of them and slowly but surely it had evolved into love. He recounted watching Virgil and Logan fall for each other almost immediately. He spoke of seeing Roman and Logan’s arguments changing from actual frustration into something that both of them enjoyed. He remembered Virgil and Roman’s moment that Logan had brought up earlier in the conversation. And then, he spoke of what he loved about each of them, how he’d been so happy to just enjoy his time with them all.

All of his companions listened intently. At the end, each of them were sporting a pretty heavy blush and were smiling in their own ways. 

Once Patton had finished, Roman had followed on immediately. He took Patton’s idea of talking about each of them and ran with his own thoughts. His voice was fond and soft, he looked at each of them in turn as he spoke about them. It was as if Roman was completely capturing them with just a simple look. 

Logan spoke after Roman, adding his own thoughts about each of them. While the way he phrased things weren’t exactly the most romantic or sweet, the simple fact that Logan was even bringing up all the small things that none of them noticed was a testament to just how much he cared. He moved to sit in the only vacant seat as he spoke, getting closer and more personal with them all. 

Virgil was the last to speak up. His voice was still shaking, as was his body, but he was clearly happy. He didn’t say a lot, and apologised far too much for it, but he was trying. All the things he said were extremely personal. It was all quiet and gentle, just utterly adorable and sweet. 

The four of them sat and discussed a little longer, deciding on what they should all do after they left the room. It was agreed that they would all be willing to try a relationship, all four of them. A plan was made to meet after the library was closed for the day. They’d meet at the café nearby and talk about everything that they felt was necessary to discuss about the relationship, such as boundaries. 

The tension was finally gone. All of them were smiling at each other. When they stood to leave, Patton stopped them at the door.

“What’s wrong, Patton?”

“I’ve needed to hug you all since we came in here! Can we just…?” Patton opened his arms, a wide grin on his face. 

Virgil was the first over, filling the space between Patton’s arms. He held onto the librarian tightly, as if he might disappear. Logan and Roman followed, surrounding the others with warmth. Patton breathed deeply as the balloon popped in his chest and he felt himself calmer than he’d even been. It would take some work, but he knew that it would all be worth it.


	8. Epilogue

“Oh, come on… Where is it?” 

Virgil rummaged around in his bag for his lanyard. He cursed himself for never clearing out his bag and being just that little bit over-prepared. When his fingers brushed against the object in question, Virgil grasped it as quick as he could and pulled. Out it came, along with about four other things that went plummeting to the floor. He threw the lanyard over his head before shoving the other items back into his bag that was then stored away in his locker.

His Locker.

It was still strange. It had been only a couple months after that meeting that he’d been offered a permanent, paid position. He took it almost immediately, of course. His role had never really changed, just working longer hours and getting money for it. Now, it was two months after that, and he was still a little in awe of how much his life had changed.

Virgil thought about all of this as he looked in the mirror that was in the office. He messed with his hair, getting to sit just where he wanted it. He took a moment to notice the contrast between his dark outfit choice and the bright blue-ish green of the lanyard. It normally would annoy him or make him gag at the sight, but it held a higher value than just being something simply cosmetic. Still, it would never be as silly as the odd dog themed lanyard that resided in the basket for volunteers to use. Patton still mourned over the fact Logan refused to allow him to use it, but Virgil definitely found he had a soft spot for it. 

He made his way over to the desk closest to the door, glancing at the clock on the wall. “Shit.” He muttered to himself, quickly grasping the black binder and spinning it towards himself. He flipped open the cover to find the schedule for the day. Using his index finger, he ran it down to find his name. He memorised the sections he was tasked with up until his lunch break and quickly made his way out into the main area.

Minutes passed by as Virgil began working on his section. He was getting through the last couple books from the top shelf of the trolley nearby when he was suddenly lifted off the ground.

Virgil fought not to yell or make too much noise, which ended with him making a strangled squeak noise of surprise. By the time he was placed down on the ground, Virgil had gotten his bearings and knew who had snuck up on him.

“Fuck you, you asshole.” Virgil fake-whispered as he turned and swatted at Roman, who ducked to easily avoid it. While he huffed out an annoyed breath, he couldn’t quite keep the smile off his face.

Roman, as dramatic as ever, put up a façade of hurt. His head turned, his eyes shut, and his hand flew out towards Virgil, almost grasping him, “Your words wound me so! I don’t think I can go on knowing you harbour such hatred for me!” He opened an eye with a grin, checking to see Virgil’s response.

The soft laugh and shake of the head was all Virgil gave. He turned to begin getting back on task, but Roman reached out and stopped him. 

Virgil opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by Roman’s finger resting lightly against his lips, making him blush. He felt his cheeks getting even warmer as he watched Roman slowly lift his hand up before placing a gentle kiss to his knuckles, “Hold that thought until later, my dear. I shall be counting the moments until we are reunited…”

Virgil scoffed, pulling his hand away with a roll of his eyes, “Get away. You’re already late.” He couldn’t quite hide the smile that was tugging at his lips as Roman walked away. 

He kept watching out of the corner of his eye as he went back to working through the books he was tasked with. Virgil did pause again as he saw Roman approach the front desk after returning from the office. He watched as Roman chatted with Patton, as Roman leant down and briefly kissed Patton’s cheek, as he then pulled Patton up and swapped places with him. It looked almost like a dance. Patton waved as he walked off, clearly heading off to his next assignment.

Virgil may have sighed to himself, but he couldn’t help just adoring everything he’d witnessed. He didn’t feel as though he was left out, he didn’t feel as though he was unwanted. He felt loved and warm, even though he was watching from afar. It was still a strange sensation that Virgil was getting used to, but it would be completely wrong for him to say it was unwelcome. Being able to feel such strong positive emotions from simply watching two of his partners being so frustratingly sweet was just wonderful.

The thoughts were running through Virgil’s mind as he worked all day. He was still trying to figure out how all of this were possible, especially when it conflicted with what the voice in his head would normally be telling him. When it came time for his lunch break, he was actually feeling exhausted from overthinking.

He trudged up the stairs towards the office, legs feeling heavy. Thankfully, he hadn’t been accosted by someone on the way to his break as the library was quiet. When he turned the corner at the top of the stairs, he was met with a view he was not expecting.

Standing directly in front of the door to the office were Logan and Patton kissing. The latter was up on tip toes holding Logan’s face between his hands, while Logan’s arms were simply holding Patton in place as well as providing support. 

Virgil stood still for a moment, unsure of how to react. They looked so happy and peaceful, he almost didn’t want to ruin their moment, but his aching legs and exhaustion quickly reminded him of the fact he still needed to get past them. He could feel his mind whirr through his options as though they were set up on a spinning wheel. It landed on his go-to reaction for most things of this nature. 

He turned his head to the side and made a gagging noise, a finger poking just slightly between his parted lip, “Gross. If you’re gonna make out, please do it where no one can see you.” Virgil made a point of trying to slip past them, making it as obvious as possible that he wanted them to move.

The two split apart and both looked towards the man who’d interrupted them. Patton broke out into a large grin as he started giggling, while Logan was smiling softly.  
“Oh, c’mon Virgil, don’t pretend you don’t love it!” Patton teased, breaking free of Logan’s arms. He stood slightly to the side, but still was blocking the sensor that Virgil needed to activate in order to get into the room.

Virgil simply sighed and raised an eyebrow, “I don’t think so.”

The deep chuckle of Logan quickly set Virgil on edge. There was something formulating here, and Virgil was not sure what was about to happen. Logan took up the space next to Patton, “Perhaps Virgil is right. We should take it to a place where Virgil does not have to witness it…” He was hinting at something.

Virgil looked between the two in front of him. They were staring at each other, having a silent conversation. Patton’s smile, that had dropped off his face at Logan’s initial words, returned along with his giggles, “I think you might be right. Oh well, let’s go!”

They both stepped around Virgil, giving him the freedom to reach for the door handle finally. But before he could even consider it, the pair stopped beside him. They leant in and placed a kiss on either of his cheeks at the same moment.

Virgil couldn’t tell how long it had lasted for. He was stuck between two very different kisses. On his left, he could feel the lighter press of Logan’s lips against his cheek, lips together, just a standard kiss. On his right, he could feel the extreme pressure of Patton’s kiss, lips turned up in a smile, almost a little too enthusiastic but not unwelcome.

After the situation had caught up with him and the other two had pulled away, Virgil buried his face in his hands. He really didn’t want them to see how much he was blushing, and the sudden voice of a fourth party took their attention away from him.

It started with an exaggerated scoff, sounding somewhat offended. Virgil slowly turned around, while Logan and Patton turned their attention towards the top of the stairs. Standing at the very edge was Roman, looking none too pleased.

“How could you? All of you! Excluding me! How could you?” Roman stalked forward, turned Virgil around by his shoulders and pushed him towards the door. Virgil could hear both of the others laughing softly at Roman’s actions. 

Roman reached around and used Virgil’s pass on the end of his lanyard to open the door, pushing the shorter inside and slotting his body between the door and the doorframe, “Now, I shall show Virgil how romance is truly done!” His expression turned suspicious, “Wait… shouldn’t you two really be getting back to work? I think your break was over 5 minutes ago. I might just have to report you two!”

Virgil was able to peak past Roman’s form but could only see Logan, who was standing with an amused expression. He heard Patton’s voice, “I suppose you’re right, Roman. We should be getting back down there.”

“I agree. Whatever would we do if we were to be reported, Patton?”

“I don’t think I even want to think about it! C’mon Lo!”

With that, Virgil watched as Logan’s head disappeared in the direction of the stairs. As Roman finally let the door shut, the sound of footsteps descending the stairs became muffled. Virgil simply followed Roman as they both grabbed what they needed from their respective lockers and headed outside to grab some lunch together.

The lunch break was all together uneventful. They went to the small café across the road and ordered their usual. They shared a table by the window and they just spoke, enjoying each other’s company. Virgil was thankful that Roman was toning down his dramatics when they were together in public. It’d taken some work and communication, but he was finally learning how much Virgil could take. 

It felt like almost no time had passed, but they eventually headed back into the library. They put their belongings back in their lockers and went to leave. Virgil was the first over to the black binder that held the information of their next tasks. Arms wrapped around his waist and a weight draped over his back, a chin resting on his shoulder.

Neither said a word. Virgil silently indicated what Roman’s next task was, while Roman only offered up a hum of acknowledgement. They held their positions, neither wanting to be the first to pull away. Virgil sighed and stepped free of Roman, who put up no resistance.

Silently, they both made their way out of the office and down the stairs. They parted for their destinations and began to work.

Time just slid by, and before Virgil knew it, it was the end of the day. Closing was fairly easy with four of them on hand. Him and Patton worked to tidy any and all desk areas, while Roman and Logan focused on the bookshelves. 

Virgil turned off the computer and made a final sweep of the front desk. Patton was just behind, finishing up with the flyers. Virgil leant on top of the cupboards separating them and made casual conversation. It continued all the way up to the office and back down again. They were waiting by the back door, Patton’s arms circled around Virgil. They waited for a few minutes, but weren’t joined by either Roman nor Logan.

“Have you seen either of them?”

“Not since we started…”

The pair shared a puzzled look before they began looking for their companions. They checked between every bookshelf. They split up and began working from either end of the ground floor, hoping to find them before they met in the middle. 

Virgil rounded one of the bookshelves and suddenly stood still. He managed to wave to get Patton’s attention, who poked his head around the corner. He had to cover his mouth to stop the giggles.

Roman and Logan were currently sharing a rather passionate embrace. To put it simply, Logan had clearly pinned Roman against the bookshelf and had began a harsh attack on his partner’s lips. Not that it seemed Roman had any complaints, if the hands tightly gripping at Logan’s shirt were anything to go by.

Virgil rolled his eyes and reached for his phone. After a few swipes, the torch on his phone was turned on and aimed directly towards the two between the bookshelves. A loud yelp sounded, and Virgil lowered his phone, “Are you two done now? Can we go?” Patton was now shaking with silent giggles next to him.

Logan stood still, looking entirely unfazed, “Of course. I’m sorry we got carried away, I simply had to teach Roman a lesson in how that was properly done.”

“I call dibs on the next one!” Patton practically jumped as he threw his hand in the air.

“Patton, you can’t call dibs on something like that…” Logan’s voice held a tinge of frustration, but the soft look in his eyes betrayed him. He exited from between the bookshelves, Roman following behind, looking only slightly dazed.

Eventually, they all made their way out of the back door. Logan locked the door and pocketed the key before turning to his companions, “So, what is the plan?”

They all ended up doing what they usually did on a Friday evening. They walked a little way down the road to a takeout that was always open until late. Logan was the first to place his order, with Roman and Patton following close behind. Patton also ordered Virgil’s for him, saving him the stress. Normally, they attempted to do a rotation of who would pay, but Logan always found a way to beat them to it.

The food came out to them about 10 minutes later and they made their way back towards the library. They came to a stop at a low wall that was near the building. Virgil sat himself on the bricks, Patton seating himself next to him. Roman leant against the taller part that attached to the building, while Logan stood opposite. They ate there, enjoying the cool evening air and their time together. Even after their food was finished, they stayed in the same spot.

Patton began to shiver from the cold. Roman came to sit himself next to him, wrapping him in his arms. Roman avoided the eyes of everyone around him as he brought up what they all seemed to be thinking, “Maybe we should think about heading home?” 

The question hung in the air. All four of them knew they didn’t want to, but knew it was an inevitability. There was a murmur of agreement and they all stood to walk over to where Logan’s car always sat. They walked in silence, trying to not to think about the fact they were about to part yet again. While they would see each other in the coming days, they’d still be spending their night alone in cold, empty beds.

Patton, still wrapped in one of Roman’s arms, turned and buried his face against the man next to him, willing away the tears that were threatening to spill. Virgil reached out and slid an arm around Patton as well, hoping to provide some sort of support.

In what felt like a matter of seconds, they were back at the back door of the library. They stood for a second, all trying to think of what to say.

Roman took a breath and then smiled at them all, “Well, today was fun. I’ll see you all during the week, I suppose…” He trailed off, not sure if he should just turn and start his walk back home.

“Yeah… It was pretty alright…” Virgil’s eyes were fixed on a very interesting pebble on the ground. He didn’t want to be the first to leave. He’d be going in the opposite direction anyway, back the way they’d just came. Maybe it would have been a better idea to just leave there… He thought to himself.

Patton smiled and slipped out of the two arms holding him, going to stand opposite them, “It was, I’m glad we do this! I’ll be looking forward to it, all week...” Patton’s eyes glanced up the hill behind the library, knowing that was his route home. The walk would be lonely and cold, he didn’t want to go just yet.

Logan felt it was his turn to speak. A thought came to his mind and he vocalised without really considering it, “Would you all like a lift home?” The three hopeful faces that turned upon him made him realise it was the best decision.

So, they all made their way into the car. Virgil sat in the front with Logan, while Patton and Roman took the back. They spent a few minutes figuring what order to drop everyone off, before they started on their way.

First to be dropped off was Roman. He leant through the gap to offer a kiss to both of the two in the front, who were more than willing to indulge their boyfriend. He turned to Patton last, sharing a kiss with him before he slid out of the door. Patton waved as they drove away and he watched through the back window as Roman entered the door. Virgil was watching as much as he could through the mirrors.

Then it was Patton. He slid out of the back and opened up the front doors, giving both of them a tight hug. He thanked Logan and told them to message the group when they got to their respective homes. Patton smiled and waved as they drove off, Virgil offering up a small wave in return. He watched Patton enter the door in the mirror. 

As they made their way to Virgil’s, both of their phones pinged with a notification. Virgil checked, smiling softly as he read Patton’s message aloud. Roman and Patton began messaging back and forth a little, while Virgil simply spectated.

He let his mind wander, thinking about how lucky he got with finding all three of them. Virgil then began watching Logan out of the corner of his eye. 

It had all started with him. It had started with this stupidly attractive librarian who gave him a chance. Now, here they both were, driving along the streets back to Virgil’s place after having just dropped of their other two partners. He felt the need to do something to thank Logan properly, but he wasn’t sure what to do.

Soon enough, Logan stopped outside Virgil’s and turned to him, “This is yours, correct?” Virgil simply nodded, not trusting his mouth to say anything at the moment. “Right, well, then I suppose this is goodni-”

Logan was cut off by Virgil practically throwing himself at the other, kissing him almost as if his life depended on it. Before Logan could even began to think about returning the kiss, Virgil pulled away with wide eyes and red cheeks. He began to mutter apologies as he opened the door. 

He was about to close the door when-

“Virgil.”

The man in question locked eyes with the one still sat in the car. His eyes were soft, and Virgil felt the nerves inside him calm a little from that.

“It’s okay. I think I understand.” Logan offered a gentle smile.

Virgil’s lip twitched into a small smile, “Thanks Logan… I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow, Virgil.”

As he stood watching the car drive off down the street, Virgil couldn’t help but feel warm inside. It was unusual, but not bad. He entered the building, knowing that while it might be a lonely night, at least the next day wouldn’t be.


End file.
